Nulla Vitae
by The Layman
Summary: Max's has a pretty normal life, what with school and friends and life in general. She's got a loving mom, a fun sister, and an adorable little brother, and things couldn't be better! ...until strange event start to unravel her perfect life and make her question reality. Or could it just be that she's slowly going insane?...
1. Initium

Damn it, this could not have gone worse! It wasn't supposed to happen like this; we get in, we break some stuff, and we get out. Simple and clean. But as luck would have it, now we're split up and being chased by a crap ton of Erasers who want nothing more than to sink their teeth into some fried Avian-American. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them had a spice rack ready to season us as we were roasted over an open flame.

I turned another corner, hoping it would throw at least some of them off and give me a better chance to lose them. Unfortunately, a pair of guards was waiting there, chatting it up like they hadn't known my Flock and I were in their base, killing their dudes (so to speak). I took advantage of their obliviousness and barrelled part them, grabbing the front of one's shirt and tossing him into the path of my pursuers. I didn't look back, getting out of this damn place was currently priority numero uno, but I could hear the collision that happened as a result. I'm sure Gazzy would have gotten I kick it out it.

A few more turns later I finally stopped to catch my breath. Thankfully I didn't hear any footsteps, but this reprieve only gave me a new opportunity to worry about my family, Iggy being the most obvious because of his blindness. As much as he hated people worrying about that, and as much of a directional sixth sense he has, I can't help but feel the most worried about him. Thank God he and Gazzy are practically inseparable; for all the grief they give me they still balance each other out when they're in a pinch.

Nudge was another big worry. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces (even if her motor mouth can get a little grating at times), but she wasn't the strongest fighter; she could still beat up fully trained soldiers twice her size, but she'd honestly rather be shopping in Soho than getting into fights.

Angel was also a big worry, but not in the way you're probably thinking. Out of the six of us, she ended up developing more special powers (not the least of which was her scary mind control powers) than the rest of us combined, so she was often targeted more than the rest of us. Honestly, it was getting pretty damn annoying. She may act mature most of the time, but she still only six years old; I know there's only so much of this I could take if I were her age.

Suddenly I heard a bunch of footsteps running up the corridor, followed by a bunch of Erasers blocking off one end of the corridor. Oh well, break's over, I guess. Bracing myself, I waited for them to come at me, most likely ganging up on me so I couldn't attack, seemingly content to stand around and block my escape.

I was about press my advantage and burst through the line, when I suddenly felt something prick my neck. My hand instinctively shot to my neck and found a small dart lodged there. And it was a tranq dart too. Know how I know that? Because I was starting to lose consciousness.

Crap, this isn't good. As I sunk to the floor I thought about the Flock again: Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, and-

And...and who?

__struct group_info init_groups = { .usage = ATOMIC INIT(2) }; _

__struct group_info *groups_alloc(int gidsetsize){ __struct group_info *group__info *group_info;  
_int nblocks:  
_int i:

__nblocks = (gidsetsize + NGROUPS_PER_BLOCK - I) NGROUPS_PER_BLOCK;_  
__/* Make sure we always allocate at least one indirect block pointer */_  
__nblocks = nblocks ? : 1;_  
__group_info = kmalloc(sizeof(*group_info) + nblocks*sizeof(gid_t *), GFP_USED);_  
__if (!group_info)_  
__return NULL;_

__Run: _vconstruct ;_

_Loading..._

_ _group_info-ngroups = gidsetsize;  
_group_info-nblocks = nblocks;  
_atomic_set(&group_info-usage, 1);  
_area_info-narea = (gidsetsize = NGROUPS_SMALL)  
_group_info done_

__Running program LIFE_exe..._


	2. Excitatio

I woke up with a start, the annoying blare of my alarm droning on and on to my right, the digital display blinking in time until I reached over and hit the snooze button.

"Geez…," I mumbled as I caught sight of the time, "Not again!..." The display read 6:45, a full half hour before the time I set it.

And I think I know who the culprit is, too.

Sighing, I threw the covers off and slowly crawled out of my bed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep again. The sun was shining through the blinds on my window, making me squint as I twisted them closed; no sense in making it easy for any lurking perverts to get a free show.

Before I could reach my dresser my door burst open my younger sister, Ella, ran in and grabbed my arm, "Max, come on! You gotta come downstairs _inmediatamente_!"

"Too early," I mumble, "Max no do early." Despite my weak protests I allowed myself to be dragged out of my room (still in the tank top and shorts I fell asleep in) and down the stairs into the kitchen. "Seriously Ells," I said, leaning against the kitchen door frame, "you could have at least let me put some-"

"Happy Birthday, Max!"

In the kitchen stood my mom and younger brother, Ari, my mom holding a tray filled to the brim with breakfast foods: a stack of pancakes, orange juice, milk, a small bowl of my favorite sugary cereal, and a chocolate cupcake on the side. Stuck in the cupcake was a single, lit candle.

Of course, my birthday! I glanced over at the calendar and saw a big red circle around the words "Max's B-day"; how did I forget such a big day?

"Blow out the candle, Max!" Ari insisted eagerly, practically hitting the ceiling. "Make a wish!"

"You're the one who reset my alarm!" I said, grabbing the little brat and putting him into a headlock. Upon seeing this, my mom set the tray of food on the counter and grabbed Ari and me by our ears, holding us apart.

"Max, don't attack your brother," she scolded, "I allowed Ari to reset your clock." At this Ari stuck his tongue out at me.

Mom noticed, and tugged on his ear.

"Don't antagonize!" she snapped before turning back to me, "I allowed it so you could get up before you had to get ready for school, so don't be mad at him."

"Fine...," I sighed in defeat. "I'll be good." I shuffled over to counter and pulled up a stool, sliding the breakfast tray over to my spot.

"Blow out the candle and make a wish!" Ella insisted, sitting down next to me and bouncing eagerly in her seat. "_Rapido_!"

"Alright, alright, keep your shirt on!" I took the cupcake in my hand and blew out the candle, plucking it out and licking the residue on the bottom.

"Yay!" Ella cheered.

"What'chya wish for Max?" Ari asked, tugging at my shirt, "Huh? What was it?"

"Can't tell ya," I told him smugly, rustling his shaggy brown hair, "or it won't come true."

"No fair!" he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. He was clearly trying to be defiant, but in reality was more than a little adorable.

After breakfast was finished (Mom made enough pancakes for everyone) I headed back to my room to gather a change of clothes, before hopping into the shower.

As my body became engulfed in the steaming cascade pouring from the shower-head I thought about how I forgot today was my fifteenth birthday. It was weird, because I remember being excited about it for, like a whole month before now, practically every other word out of my mouth was about how excited I was to finally be turning fifteen! I even kept an alphabetized list of gifts I was hoping to get in my night stand, that's how pumped I was for this!

Of course there was the fact that Mom was taking me and a few of my close friends to the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concert in Phoenix this weekend, that might have helped too.

Oh well, I'll just chalk up my brain fart to my usual morning sluggishness, coupled with waking up earlier than normal.

Which reminds me, I still have to think of a way to pay my little punk of a brother back for messing with my sleep schedule, preferably without Mom knowing I'm behind it. ...Maybe I can shake down some of the local muscle at school for something to use? Whatever, I'm sure I'll think of something before I get home.

My shower finished, I towelled off and quickly jumped into the clothes I brought and grabbed my books and stuff before heading downstairs to say goodbye to Mom.

"See ya tonight Mom!" I said, stopping to give her a kiss on the cheek .

"Wait, Max!" she called before I made it out the door, "What would you like for you Birthday Dinner?"

"Surprise me!" I called back, hurrying down to the bus stop before the bus got there. My Mom's an excellent cook, so I know whatever she mashed in going to be delicious.

But right now I have to hurry or I won't make it to school.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"Max, over here!" Nachell called from the back of the bus. She was bouncing on the seat, frantically waving me over. I waved back to let her know I saw her before making my way back.

She quickly scooted over, allowing me to sit by the aisle.

"Happy Birthday!" she said, hugging me around my shoulders with her overly tanned arms.

"Thanks," I said, awkwardly hugging her back. I've never really been what you'd call "touchy-feely", but most of my friends were, so I tried to meet them halfway some of the time.

"I got you something!" she exclaimed (and most likely damaging my precious ear in the process). Once she detached herself from my person she reached into her tote bag and pulled out a small, square shaped object wrapped in paper covered with little angels on it. It was a CD, anyone with half a brain could tell that from its shape (and I had a good idea which one it was, too), but I pretended to have no idea for a minute before tearing into the sickly adorable paper.

Sure enough, it was a copy of the latest Daft Punk album. Heck yeah! That was one of the items near the top my list!

"So, like it?" she asked, looking like she was about to explode into sparkles and rainbows. Well, we can't have that, I'm allergic to sparkles.

"It's great!" I told her, sticking the CD into my backpack. I was totally gonna spin this when I get home! "Thanks a ton."

Suddenly my bag was yanked out of my hand, held aloft by one of the biggest jerkwads in school; Prewit Legrand, captain of the Mesa High Wolfpack, son of the vice principal, and general pain in my royal butt for as long as I can remember. His time was usually split between being overrated on the football field and coming up with the same old tired ways to annoy me.

"Give it back, _Prewit_," I growled, honestly a little disappointed. I mean, even for him this was lame.

"Gee, I don't know Max," the poster boy for the Lower Common Denominator say, smug as hell, "I'm kinda leaning towards not here; me and my boys need something to throw in our bonfire on Saturday."

Nachell gasped next to me, but I just continued my glaring. It was an empty threat; we both knew I could kick his butt five ways to Sunday, so I'd have my bag back before the bus reached the school.

"Dude, you know this is gonna get ugly if I have to take it from you," I told him, crossing my arms, "Just give back my bag now and save yourself the humiliation."

He scoffed, giving me the universal "come at me, bro" sign, obviously trying to provoke me into doing something rash. Fortunately, the bus stopped to pick up the last bunch of kids, giving me just the opportunity I needed. I slowly got up from my seat, casually cracked my knuckles….

And promptly kicked him square in the balls.

As dear old Prewit was on the floor, busy using language that I'm sure his mother would have smacked him silly for, I picked my bag up from the floor and sat back down, ignoring clapping and murmuring going on around me. This was all kind of old hat at this point; practically nobody likes Prewit save for his lackeys, and he never came out on top when he challenged me every other day.

"You can close your mouth now," I told Nachell, "you're gonna start catching flies."

"Eep!" she eeped, throwing her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's just that...girl you just kicked him right in his family jewels, what the hell!"

I shrugged, "It's my birthday, I felt like indulging myself." I leaned back, resting the back of my head on my arms, "I don't even care if he tattles on me to the head principal himself, there's nothing in the world right now that could ruin my-"

Suddenly the bus came to a screeching halt, throwing everyone into the seat in front of them. (Prewit was lucky enough to get sprawled on the floor.)

"OMG, what just happened?" Nachell asked, just getting her breath back. I was wondering the exact same thing, and figured the direct approach was the best way to get answers.

"I'll go ask the driver," I groaned, rubbing my temples (I hope I don't get a concussion from this…). I made my way to the front of the bus (sidestepping Prewit on the way) where the driver was busy catching his own breath as well. "What happened?"

"I don't know," the elderly man said, holding his hand over his chest, "for a second, I thought I saw a little girl standing in the road."

"You mean like she was crossing the street?" I asked.

The bus driver shook his head, "Nope, she was standing smack dab in the middle of the road!" He shook his head, "It was like she just appeared out of nowhere…"

I looked out the windshield to see if the girl was still there (maybe she was still petrified with fear or something), but there was no one there. Then a terrible thought crossed my mind; what if the girl was stuck under the bus, all jammed up in the axle or something? The thought made me want to _majorly_ barf, but I knew I'd keep thinking about it until I knew for sure, so I got off the bus and got down on my stomach so I could see underneath.

_Phew_, there wasn't any blood on the pavement. Which meant that there wasn't a little girl lodged in the axle, thank God. Although, that also means that the bus driver might be getting ready for a comfortable retirement. Pity, because he was always really cool for an old guy.

"Good news," I said as I reboarded the bus, "nobody got run over."

"That's a relief," the driver sighed. He turned to the rest of the bus, "False alarm everyone, get back in your seats!"

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

The rest of the ride to school went by without any more mishaps; nobody got run over, no buildings got destroyed, and Godzilla didn't spontaneously appear and rampage through Mesa.

So yeah, I call that a win.

School itself passed by almost in a blur, my thoughts often straying to one of three things: A. the concert this Saturday, B. the mountain of presents [potentially] I would be getting, and C. the fabulous dinner my mom was making me tonight. What can I say? I really like birthdays. For one day out of the whole year, the world totally revolves around you. (Christmas is cool too, but it's kind of a shared thing.)

Plus, it's one of the few times I get to see my dad since Mom and he divorced.

Anywho, I pretty much coasted through the school day, only really having to join the real world for P.E. Which was fine, I actually like P.E.; I always felt more alive during it for some reason. Of course, anything's better than being packed into a stuffy room with twenty to thirty other kids, fighting to stay awake as some old guy (or woman, I'm all for gender equality) droned on about the socio-political ramifications of the U.S. becoming a self sufficient nation or some equally boring topic.

Eventually it was the last period of the day, which happened to be Study Hall this week. (Which could only be a birthday miracle.) Now I could pretty much forget about school related stuff until tomorrow; tonight was all about one person (I'll give you a hint: she have two thumbs and is pointing them at her face right now.), me! All I pretty much had to do now was get back home and enjoy my mom's heavenly cooking!

"Aw, is wittle Maxey-waxey _daydreaming_?"

There was just one problem….

"You should probably get back to your seat, Prewit," I said, my voice laced with sarcasm, "I'd hate for the teacher to catch you and give you detention right before the bell rings."

"Pfft, like that'll ever happen!" he scoffed, "My dad's the vice principal, I won't even make it out of the classroom before he let's me off the hook!"

Everyone around us were busy murmuring amongst themselves now, things like "Give it a rest, Prewit", or "That's his answer to everything", things like that.

But seriously, I don't know why he picks on me so much (not that it ever does him any good). I mean, I'm the object of his affections (note how facetious I'm being here) so much that all the quote/unquote "nerds and geek" regularly leave letters in my locker saying how grateful they are that I keep "Le Grande Menace" off their backs for them.

Which would be kinda sweet if they didn't include D&D and Star Trek convention flyers with said letters. They just don't seem to get the hint that I'm not interested in that stuff: give me some good music, a soccer ball, and a stable career when I graduate any day and I'm content.

But getting back to Prewit, by now he was deep in the middle of some improve shtick where he was illustrating just how uncool I was through pantomime (and I use the term loosely), over explaining what each of the actions were supposed to be. He would go on like this for a while, so I decided to see what was happening outside the classroom window; watching grass grow was infinitely preferable to watching Ape Boy trying to be clever, "try" being the operative word here.

I've got to give props to whoever does the landscaping for Mesa Public High School, they actually manage to make the outside of the building look nice. (Inside it looks like a hospital: boring and sterile.) It looks especially nice in the spring, when all the flowers around town are in full bloom. I couldn't name what flowers they were, but it still gave my eyes something nice to look at when… Wait, is that someone standing in the road? I tuned out everything else going on around me and focused out the window. Sure enough, I saw a young girl (maybe nine or ten from what I could tell) standing right in the middle of the road outside the school.

And that's it, she just stood stone still, staring right at the school. It was kinda creepy, but to be honest I was more concerned that she'd get hit by a car or something. There wasn't any traffic on the right at the moment, but that could change at any moment. Still, if there were any cars on the road right now they should have more than enough time to-

And then suddenly a bus totally came from out of nowhere and ploughed right into the little girl before screeching to a halt.

Needless to say, the next words that came out of my mouth were remarkable similar to the ones Prewit said on the bus before.

"What's up Max?" Nachell asked from behind me, "A bug fly in your or something?"

"Did you just see that?" I stammered, the shock of the incident still lingering.

"See what?" she asked.

"What just happened! It was…" I tried to think of an eloquent way to explain what had just transpired, just deciding to be blunt when nothing came, "A little girl just got run over by a bus just now!"

_"Really?"_ she gasped, causing the rest of the class to turn their attention towards me. The girls immediately rushed over to me, bombarding me with questions about the incident, while the guys rushed to the window to catch a glimpse of the carnage.

"The hell Max, there's nothing there!" one of the shouted, turning to glare at me accusingly.

No, there has to be something there, I just saw it happen! I rushed over to the window, hoping the boy was just looking in the wrong spot, but when I looked outside again there wasn't a single sigh that there'd ever been an accident. In fact, now there was a line of buses slowly pulling up to the drop off area, stretching past where the incident was supposed to be.

OK, what in the actual hell is going on here? I saw that happen, I'm sure I did...right?

"You OK Max?" Nachell asked gingerly, putting her hand on my shoulder, "You need to go see the nurse?"

"No, I'm OK," I managed, easing back into my chair.

Did I seriously imagine all that? If so, than my imagination and I need to have a serious heart to heart about this new direction it's going. For the moment, I'm just going to treat this as lack of sleep (which reminds me, I need something to get back at Ari with) coupled with the mystery meat at lunch.

Hopefully this'll be the end anything weird happening and I can enjoy the rest of my birthday in peace.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_"Is everything holding?"_

_"Affirmative; Interface successful, synchronization errors negligible at 1.3%. Vital statistics all show green." _

_"Very good. Continue to monitor the subject and inform me if there are any drastic changes." _

_"Of course, Madam Director."_

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_For those who are interested: I did look at a map of the Mesa area (thank you Google Maps), but for reasons that will become clearer as the story goes on I'm not really trying to be 100% accurate. (For example, there isn't actually a Mesa Public High School is Mesa. Mesa natives, please don't crucify me accidentally misrepresent your fair city!) _


End file.
